Press



Aug. 8, 1 944.

F. E. STRATTON v PRESS Filed March 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Aug. 8, 1944. F. E. STRATTON PRESS I Filed Marh 12, 1940 Patented Aug. 8, 1944 PRESS Frank E. Stratton, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough, of Flemington, N. J., a corporation ofl\ leW Jersey Application March 12, 1940, Serial Nb. 323,596

Claims. (o1."192-'1s1)@ This invention relates to presses and is herein illustrated as embodied in a clicking machine of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 921,503, granted May 11, 1909, upon application filed in the name of Arthur Bates.

Machines of the type referred to commonly comprise a cutting bed and a presser arm mounted for movement over the bed about a vertical axis and heightwise of the bed in producing pressure-applying operations upon dies positioned. upon sheet material located on the bed;

Such machines commonly comprise a starting lever associated with the presser arm for tripping a clutch control member to initiate power operation of the presser member. These machines have gone into extensive use for cutting blanks, such as shoe upper blanks, from leather and other sheet material, and the machines are generally satisfactory. It sometimes happens, however, that a careless operator will actuate the starting handle with one hand while his other hand is positioned beneath the presser member, with the result that a serious accident occurs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved clicking machine, in which there is starting mechanism so constructed and arranged that both hands of the operator are required to initiate power operation of the machine, thus eliminating any likelihood of the occurrence of accidents of the kind above-mentioned. To this end, and as'illustrated, I have provided a clicking machine in which there is starting mechanism, comprising the usual starting handle to be grasped by one hand of an operator, a latch which is normally operative to prevent actuation of the means for initiating a power operation of the machine, and an auxiliary control device comprising a latch release member which must be engaged by the other Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the mechanism for controlling the latch;

Fig. 3- is a view, partly in cross section, of a portion of the latch control mechanism; and

Fig. *4 is a perspective view of a portion of the manually operable means for releasing the latch. ,1 V

Fig. 1 disclosesthe upperportion of a clicking machine having a frame Ill, in which is mounted a reciprocable post l2 carrying a presser member 14, there being a starting handle l8 loosely mounted for'vertical movement on a pin 20 and connected to theend of a starting lever or rod 22. The starting lever 22 is arranged to operate a lever 24 engaging a clutch trip rod 26 effective to initiate an operation of mechanism including a one-revolution clutch (not shown) for causing a single reciprocation of the presser member l4 toward and away from a cutting bed 21. The construction thus far described is similar to thatillustrated in the aforementioned Letters Patent to which reference may be had for further details of construction and operation.

The lever 22 is connected by means of screws 28 to a bracket 30 having a forked portion 32 positioned in a groove 34 in a ring-shaped member 35,- which surrounds the post l2 and is integral with the outer end of the lever 24. The lever 24 is mountedon a pivot 38 on the machine frame, 'anda spring 40 is normally effective tomainta-in the lever 24 and its associated parts, including the lever 22 and the starting handle is, in raised position, at which time the presser memberrislocated in its uppermost position abovethe bed 21. This construction permits the movement of the presser arm about the'axis .of the post 12 without disturbing the heightwise position of the lever 24 sufliciently to initiate operation of the lever to start the machine. n

In'the normal operation of the structure thus far described'the-starting handle I8 is grasped by one hand of the operator, and the presser arm I4 is swung about the axis of the post l2 to locate the presser member in the desired position over the cutting bed 21 and, when so located, the operator depresses the handle to effect a power operation of the presser member.

Means is provided in the present machine for preventing a power operation of the presser member l4 until after such time as the other hand of the operator is in a safe position in engagement' with auxiliary control mechanism. This means comprises a latch 42 pivoted at 44 on the bracket 30 and arranged to engage an abutment or ledge 46 on a bracket 48 carried on the pivot 38, the latch being releasable by engagement of the operators hand with a contion 56 engaged by a spring 58 resting upon upper portion of the bracket 30 and arranged to urge the latch in a counterclockwise direction, thus to ensure that the latch will engage the ledge when the starting lever 22 is raised sufiiciently under the action of the spring 40.

The mechanism for releasing the latch 42 comprises a dog 66, one end of which rests upon the ledge 46, the other end of which is mounted upon a pivot 62 carried by one arm 64 of a bell crank lever 66 pivotally mounted upon the shaft 44. The dog 60 has on its under portion a recessed portion 68, in which is received a pin projecting laterally from theupper end of the latch 42. Upon rotation of the bell crank lever 66 in a clockwise direction, the rear wall of the recess engages the pin 10 and moves it and the latch in a clockwise direction about the shaft 44 to release the latch from the ledge, thus permitting downward movement of the starting lever 22 in efiecting power operation of the machine. The outer end of the dog 60 is maintained in engagement with the ledge 46 by a spring 1 l.

The mechanism for operating the bell crank lever 66 in response to operation of the control device 56 comprises a shaft 12 (Figs. 2 and3), rotatably mounted in the bracket 30 and carrying oppositely extending arms 14 which are arranged to engage studs Hi carried by'forwardly extending tail portions 18 and 19 of the bell crank lever 66. The bracket 3|] carries a transversely extending portion 86 positioned above the arms 14 and carrying spring pressed plungers 82, which respectively engage the arms. There is a spring 84 connected to a projection 85 on the portion 86 and to a projection 86 on the lever arranged normally to force the bell crank lever 66 in a counterclockwise direction.

The auxiliary control device comprises a shaft by a hand of the operator to cause bodily movement of the shaft transversely of the presser member. The connections between the shaft 88 and the shaft 12 for releasing the latch comprise a forked member 94, the ends of which are arranged to embrace a reduced portion 96 of the shaft, the member being secured to a stud 98 carried by the bracket 96 and making connection with a sleeve ID!) by means of a universal connection I02. a square opening I04, through which extends a rod 66 of square-shaped cross section. This rod makes connection with the shaft 12 through a universal joint I08. The construction is such that the rod I66 can be turned in response to 'movements of the buttons 92, and at the same time can slide axiallyof the sleeve I 60, thus constituting a linkage of variable length as is necessary due to the fact that the bracket 30 varies its position heightwise of the presser memher during operation'of the starting lever 22,

The opposite end of the sleeve has H In the operation of the machine the operator grasps the handle I8 with either hand, swinging the presser member l4 into position over work located upon the cutting bed 21. He then exerts a downward pressure upon the handle I8 and at the same time, with the other hand, pushes one of the buttons 92 of the control device 56 inwardly as far as it will go, thus to release the latch 42 thereby permitting downward movement of the starting lever 22 to operate the clutch rod 26 and initiate a reciprocation of the presser member.

In effecting release of the latch, inward movement of either of the buttons 92 rotates shaft 72, which, through one of the arms 14 and an adjacent stud 16, effects clockwise movement of the bell crank 66 and forward movement of the dog 60 which, acting through the pin 10, withdraws the latch 42 from the ledge 46. As the lever 22 moves downwardly to initiate operation of the clutch trip rod 26, the latch pin 16 moves downwardly out of the recess 68 and the spring 58 rotates the latch in a counterclockwise direction into engagement with the side wall of the ledge. Upon its release, the lever 22 rises under the action of the spring 40 and the nose of the latch is positioned upon the ledge, again locking the lever 22 against operation.

Repetition of the operation of the starting lever 22 is prevented until after the control device 56 is released. In this connection it is to be noted that the construction and arrangement of parts is such that as long as the button 92 is held in, the pawl 66 is positioned forwardly with the recess 68 located a considerable distance from the ledge. Thus, if the button is held in while the lever 22 rises, the pin 10, which is forced toward'the ledge with the latch 42, will not be in alinement with and will not enter the recess 68, but will engage the under surface of the pawl 66, rotating it slightly about the pivot 62 to permit movement of the latch into lever-locking position in engagement with the ledge 46. After the button 92 is released, the spring 84 rotates the bell crank 66 in a counterclockwise direction, moving the pawl inwardly into its initial position with the pin 16 of the latch located in the recess 68 of the pawl.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A clicking machine comprising a frame, a post mounted in the frame, a presser member carried by the post for movement therewith heightwise of the frame, a clutch control member for initiating a power operation of the presser member, a starting lever for actuating the clutch control member, an abutment on the frame, a latch carried by the lever and normally engaging the abutment to lock the starting lever against movement, manually operable means for releasing the latch, and automatic means operable independently of the latch releasing means for returning the latch into locking position aft-er an operation of the starting lever.

2. Starting mechanism for presses comprising a clutch control member, manually operable means for actuating the control member, a latch normally operative to lock the member against movement in initiating power operation of the machine, an auxiliary control member for releasing the latch, and automatic means operable independently of the auxiliary control member for returning the latch into locking position after release of the manually operable means.

3. Starting mechanism for presses comprising a manually operable starting lever, means operable normally for locking the lever against movement, manually operable means for releasing the locking means, and means independent of the releasing means for again rendering the locking means efiective to lock the starting lever after an operation of the starting lever in initiating power operation of the machine.

4. Starting mechanism for presses comprising a clutch trip member; a manually operable start ing lever for operating the clutch trip memberya latch normally operative to lock the starting lever against movement in actuating the clutch trip member, means for releasing the latch comprising an auxiliary manually operable member, and means independent of the auxiliary member for causing the latch again to lock the starting lever against movement.

5. Starting mechanism for presses comprising a clutch trip member, a manually operable starting lever for actuating the clutch trip member, an abutment mounted upon the frame of the machine, a latch carried by the starting lever and normally engaging the abutment to prevent actuation of the starting lever, auxiliary manually operable means for releasing the latch thereby to permit operation of the starting lever, and resilient means operable independently of the auxiliary manually operable means for returning the latch into engagement with the abutment upon release of the starting lever irrespective of whether or not the auxiliary means has been released.

.FRANK E. STRATTON. 

